Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (b.1949) is an English geneticist and cell biologist, known for his discoveries in cell cycle regulation, earning the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His research has advanced cancer biology and molecular genetics.
Born in Norwich, England, he studied biology at the University of Birmingham (B.Sc., 1970) and earned a PhD from the University of East Anglia (1973.) His early work in yeast genetics led to identifying the cdc2 gene, which controls cell division.
In 1984, Nurse joined the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF,) later serving as Director General (1996.) He identified the human homolog of cdc2 (CDK1,) a key cell cycle regulator, influencing cancer research.
His leadership roles include President of Rockefeller University (2003–11,) President of the Royal Society (2010–15,) and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute (2010–present.)
Nurse’s books include The Great Ideas of Biology (2003,) exploring fundamental biological concepts, and What Is Life? (2020,) examining living systems.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Paul Nurse
My parents were neither wealthy nor academic, but we lived comfortably and they were always extremely supportive of my academic efforts and aspirations, both at school and university.
—Paul Nurse
Topics: Aspirations
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